The Wrong Crowd [Wattys 2020]

Chapter 16

Dedicated to my soulmate @Phillip, mira_anamae and the author of Like Stars Lhoore_writes I love you guys so much ❤️❤️

Ore swerved through the pairs of sweaty, inebriated bodies that were twirling in the bar section of Pentagon lounge. She wrinkled her nose as a particular stench hit her and at once, she felt the crowd of people compressing her and making her unable to breathe. The loud music pounded her ears and made a vein throb continuously in her head.

Tami had sent Ore the location as a text later that night when she dropped her off at her hostel. Tami was baffled at the disgusting appearance of the evironment and a smirk was plastered on her lips. Ore watched the way her stiff fingers flexed on the steering wheel and a deep shudder ran through her. Ore hadn't thought Tami had it that bad for hostels.

Tami chewed on the inside of her cheek as she turned to give Ore a pointed look.

"You live here?" she asked incredulously. Her sleek eyebrows were furrowed and her eyes darted here and there. Her car headlights were on and they illuminated the entrance to Ore's block. Litters of pure water sachets were strewn about and the front porch looked dusty and unkempt. Ore let out a deep sigh and muttered a 'thank you' to Tami before opening the car door.

Tami's friends were in different sleeping positions at the backseat of the chilly car and their loud snores accompanied with the conversations of passersby filled the awkward silence. A ping was heard as Ore clambered out and adjusted her purse strap tighter.

Ore slammed the door, letting her arms fall limp by her side. Five seconds later, she heard the loud revv of the engine. Tami stuck her head out of the window and waved at her with a fake smile on her face.

Yeah right, Ore thought as she turned and made her way through the lighted entrance.

Ore sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes nervously scanning the area for any signs of Tami. A feeling of deja vu washed through her. She thought back to when she was standing by the side of ofrima building after her classes and doing exactly the same thing as she was presently.

A few bodies butted into Ore without muttering an apology and she gulped, climbing up the steep stairs to where the heat of the music was coming from. Some dudes that were exiting the club with glass cups filled with whatever alcohol they were drinking, stopped midway to check her out. Ore was sensitive about how she was dressed because she knew somehow, she was going to clash with Dami.

She had loosened her hair in the wee hours of the afternoon after cutting off the dead weavon she had been carrying for weeks on her head. Ore went to the salon where a middle aged woman with a french braid, washed and blew dry her hair. She was given a stylish weave and rented one of the frontal hairs that adorned the lady's shelf.

It was damn expensive, but it was worth it. The netted area in the front was trimmed off and the curly hair at the base was gelled to give the illusion that it was natural. The 18" human hair fell in a wave and flowed gracefully to her back. Her face had undergone intense facial make up that brought out the angle of her chin and the softness of her lips which were coated in a pink glossy balm.

Ore was dressed in the ripped jeans that she bought from the exquisite shopping mall. Her shoulder was left bare and the bony crevice glistened in the dim lighting. A debate between a yellow bodicon top and a black crop top that exposed her belly ensued in her mind while she sat idly on her bed.

It was Tami's warning voice of meeting up with some hot rich niggas that made the decision for her. She slipped into the crop top and patted her hair for the umpteenth time before sending a quick text to Tami that she was ready. Ore waited for almost thirty minutes before she got a reply stating that she head to head to the party grounds where they would meet up.

Ore gripped the golden banister for support and turned to the perverts who were standing at a corner and whispering amongst themselves on who would have the mind to walk up to her. Ore was about shooing them off with a determined glint in her eyes when a particularly tall guy with baggy trousers and a red t-shirt mustered up the courage to walk up to her.

His fingers were gripping his glass and he was shuffling about his feet, obviously trying to avoid her burning gaze. Ore duly noted that there was nothing special about him. His nose was too flat, his mouth too big and his angular face was filled with medium sized pimples. She smirked at that and spotted his friends scurrying off before disappearing out of sight.

But Tami was nowhere to be found. Ore's booted feet was already itching to go when the random guy halted her in her steps.

"Hey ummm . . . what's up?" His deep voice was unsteady and came out in a low tone amidst the thumping sound of the music.

"Say what?" Ore asked loudly, trying to strain her ears to hear what he was saying.

"I said you look pretty," he remarked giving her the once over before bringing out his outstretched hand. "I am Mark."

A smile played at Ore's lips and she blushed. "Why, thank you!" she stated in excitement and clasped his hand in a firm handshake. "I am Ore."

"Uhhnn . . . nice name." He was about initiating a conversation with her when Ore's phone vibrated in the back pocket of her jeans. She brought out the phone, the screen lighting up her smoky eyeshadow.

Tami 😍 :    where the hell are you? I am seated upstairs in the club. Come find me.

"Sorry, I have to go," Ore said in a hurry. "Nice to meet you," she threw as she aced the remaining steps and came face to face with the mass of students that crowded the dance floor. Her jaw slackened.

If the regular section of the club was full, this one was even fuller. Bodies were packed together like sardines in a plate. Each and every one, grinding hard to the beat. Girls were shooting out their asses with their hand grasping the edge of the table while they arched their back and twerked in front of the dudes who licked their lips and took a huge gulp of their drink.

Gross.

The waiters frolicked in between with trays poised high in the air. The sparse few took customer's orders and slipped their pen and small notebook into the pockets of their uniforms. Ore watched their careful steps absently to a huge shelf of different liquors above their head.

The overhead lights twinkled and casted an ethereal glow of the polished glasses that were arranged in a sequential order on the counter. A mini fridge was by the side and the ice cube mixers were lined up alongside the order manual which also included the different varieties of food and drinks available.

Ore furiously punched in Tami's number and waited for it to ring. Tami picked on the fourth dial and her slurred voice filled the speaker.

"Where the hell are you?" Ore shouted, taking in the individuals who were partying without a care in the world. "Wave let me see you."

The clinking of glasses with loud screams hung in the humid air as someone seated at a far corner waved fervently. Ore tucked her phone back into her pocket as she heaved a deep sigh and weaved her way through the drunk masses.

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Author's note: This is sorta a filler chapter, the real fun is in the next I promise. Anyone getting excited in there?

Anyways, the party has just begun.